Man Who Threatened Government Officials Shot By Police Near St. Clair

An anti-government Internet blogger who allegedly threatened Crawford County officials was wounded Tuesday afternoon in a confrontation with Missouri Highway Patrol troopers near St. Clair.

A Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman confirmed that troopers shot Jeffery R. Weinhaus, 45, St. Clair, when they went to serve an arrest warrant on the man.

The meeting took place at the MFA Oil gas station on Highway K, and during the confrontation Weinhuaus pulled out a handgun and troopers fired multiple shots, hitting the man at least twice, Sgt. Al Nothum said.

No troopers were injured in the incident. The Missourian could not obtain confirmation whether or not Weinhaus fired any shots.

The shooting occurred at 1:10 p.m. Radio reports began pouring in a short time later.

Nothum said when Weinhaus pulled the gun, the officers were in fear for their safety and fired on the man.

Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks did confirm that he issued a felony complaint earlier Tuesday for Weinhaus on felony charges of possession of morphine and tampering with a judicial officer, plus a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana. He asked for a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Parks said there are allegations that Weinhaus had made multiple threats against Crawford County officials, specifically Judge Kelly Parker who is identified in the warrant.

Parks said he was told that Crawford County offices had been placed on lock-down recently because of the threats.

Weinhaus has operated a video blog site for years on which he criticized all forms of government and more recently began making threats against local officials.

Parks said while the more recent threats were directed at law enforcement and judicial officials in Crawford County, Weinhaus broadcast those blogs from his home off Highway K, south of St. Clair, which is where the alleged offenses originated.

Parks said he issued a search warrant Aug. 22 for the seizure of computers belonging to Weinhaus. Two troopers went to serve the warrant and when Weinhaus opened the door, they smelled marijuana coming from the house, according to Parks. They then seized the computers, a small amount of marijuana and some pills.

A Franklin County law enforcement official said that troopers notified the sheriff’s office Tuesday that they were going out to serve the warrant on Weinhaus. The sheriff’s office asked if they wanted assistance from deputies but the troopers declined.

Heard ‘Pops’

Greg Carpenter, a resident on Highway K who lives across the street and just north of the MFA Oil building, said he was inside his home when he heard what he thought were nail gun pops coming from across the street.

He said he thought of nail gun pops because his neighbor across the street was having construction work done on his home. Carpenter said he heard four or five pops.

Weinhaus, who goes by the Internet name “Bullentinman,” was flown by air ambulance from the scene to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Creve Coeur, but his condition was not known as The Missourian was going to press.

A self-styled anti-government Internet blogger who is running for coroner in Crawford County was wounded Tuesday afternoon in a confrontation with Missouri Highway Patrol troopers near St. Clair.

Initial reports were that troopers shot Jeffery R. Weinhaus, 45, 2360 Highway K, St. Clair, when they went to serve an arrest warrant on the man. The meeting took place at the MFA Oil gas station on Highway K, and during the confrontation a weapon was displayed and troopers shot the suspect multiple time, a source told The Missourian.

No troopers were injured in the incident. The Missourian could not obtain confirmation whether or not Weinhaus fired any shots.